A person may be asked to complete a drug test for many reasons. Employers commonly require drug tests of their employees, so most people will complete at least one drug test in their lives—although it’s very common to complete more than one. Each type of drug has its own cutoff level for positive detection, which means labs must follow specific guidelines and regulations for determining what’s a positive result and what’s a negative result. In short, even if a small amount of a drug is present, this doesn’t necessarily mean the drug test will come up positive. Review the drug testing cutoff levels below for more information.
THC
For THC, otherwise and more commonly referred to as marijuana, the screen cutoff level is one picogram per millimeter. The confirmation cutoff level is 0.1 picogram per milliliter.
Cocaine
For cocaine, the screen cutoff level is 300 picogram per millimeter. The confirmation cutoff level is also 300 picogram per milliliter.
Opiates
Opiates, also known as narcotics, have a screen cutoff level of 500 picograms per milliliter. They also have a confirmation cutoff level of 500 picograms per milliliter.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines have a screen cutoff level of 300 picograms per milliliter and a matching confirmation cutoff level of 300 picograms per milliliter.
Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine, otherwise known as PCP, has a screen cutoff level of 300 picograms per milliliter and a confirmation cutoff of the same amount: 300 picograms per milliliter.
These levels are important to note because while a person may receive a negative drug test, indicating they’re not using illicit substances, they may still have trace amounts from previous usages. Retesting is common when results sit right on the line of a cutoff level.
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